Archive for the ‘Crit Racing’

“Surviving The Big Cycling Crashes During The Fast and Dangerous 2012 Dade City Crit!”

I have been doing the annual Dade City Criterium cycling race since 2001 and when I step on the start/finish line, I get so nervous because I just don’t know what is going to happen in this technical, dangerous and fast criterium.

In my 11 years racing this crit, I have seen many scary things happen around me. I have seen an old man getting hit by the peloton because he got onto the racing course and didn’t realize that there was a fast and big group of cyclists coming. I have seen many crashes happen in the last lap, going to the final sprint.

In every race that I have done, I have seen at least one crash happen in front of me, and I have even crashed twice on this racing course myself.

But the 2012 Dade City Crit was a little bit different, this time it was faster and even more dangerous. The peloton stayed single file from the beginning all the way until the end.

Phillip Gaimon, from the Kenda Team started the 2012 cycling season on fire. He was the one that made the peloton chase him during the entire race.

Even though the peloton was going incredibly fast, and in single file, bike crashes were happening in front of me, throughout the race.

I do not know where Phillip Gaimon found so much strength and speed to do what nobody else has ever done before on this technical and fast course. He lapped the field on a solo breakaway.

What a way to win a race for Phillip Gaimon. Once he lapped the field to secure his 1st place position, the peloton had to sprint for 2nd and 3rd place where Emile Abraham got 2nd and David Guttenplan got 3rd.